Directed By

Starring

The Monk

The cult classic Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis gets the Euro-film treatment. In 17th century Madrid, a child is abandoned on the doorstep of a Capucin monastery. After growing up to become a friar, our protagonist Ambrosio (Vincent Cassel, Irréversible) is an unrivaled preacher admired by thousands. Now if only he can fight off sin, madness and Satan himself. The film trades Lewis' 1796 surrealism for Hammer Studios horror-shocks, but successfully embraces the lurid, Lucifer-filled melodrama of it all. In French with English subtitles. 101 minutes R. (Opens Saturday 3/16)